Reuters Sports News Summary

The Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in a thrilling five-game Fall Classic in October and are a perfect 3-0 this season after a seventh-inning home run by Shohei Ohtani helped power them past the visiting Detroit Tigers 5-4. Tennis-Djokovic reaches Miami Open semis, Sabalenka into final Novak Djokovic is two wins away from capturing a 100th career title after beating Sebastian Korda 6-3 7-6(4), and world number one Aryna Sabalenka cruised into her first Miami Open final with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA abandons All-Star tourney format

It's unclear what next year's NBA All-Star Game will look like, but commissioner Adam Silver said the league is "a bit back to the drawing board" as it moves away from the three-game mini-tournament that was implemented this season. Speaking to reporters on Thursday following a board of governors meeting, Silver said the league will look for ways to improve the midseason event, which this year drew 4.7 million viewers across TNT platforms - down 13 percent from last year. The only NBA All-Star Game with fewer viewers came in 2023, with 4.6 million.

Sparks to retire Candace Parker's jersey on June 29

The Los Angeles Sparks will retire two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker's No. 3 jersey on June 29, the team announced Thursday. The Sparks will play Parker's hometown Chicago Sky on that day.

NBA roundup: LeBron James' buzzer-beater lifts Lakers past Pacers

LeBron James tipped in the game-winning layup as time expired, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday. James, who didn't connect on a field goal until the fourth quarter, finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers (44-28) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Figure skating-Japan duo Miura and Kihara take gold, Malinin leads after men's short program

Japanese duo Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara recovered from early setbacks to take pairs gold at the World Figure Skating Championships after Thursday's free skate program in Boston. The duo opened their routine to Benjamin Clementine's "Adiós" but struggled to complete their triple twist and triple toe loop jumps.

Alpine skiing-Shiffrin ends season with 101st World Cup win

Mikaela Shiffrin wrapped up her injury-marred season by winning the slalom at the Women's World Cup Finals in Sun Valley on Thursday for a record-extending 101st career World Cup win. Shiffrin was out of the running to defend her slalom World Cup title, which she has won eight times, after two months out recovering from a giant slalom fall in November, but the 30-year-old ended as she began the season.

Baseball-Spirits high, confidence higher as Dodgers win home opener

Los Angeles Dodgers fans returned to Dodger Stadium on Thursday still celebrating their World Series triumph and brimming with confidence at the prospects of back-to-back titles. The Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in a thrilling five-game Fall Classic in October and are a perfect 3-0 this season after a seventh-inning home run by Shohei Ohtani helped power them past the visiting Detroit Tigers 5-4.

Tennis-Djokovic reaches Miami Open semis, Sabalenka into final

Novak Djokovic is two wins away from capturing a 100th career title after beating Sebastian Korda 6-3 7-6(4), and world number one Aryna Sabalenka cruised into her first Miami Open final with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini on Thursday. Djokovic let out a triumphant roar after sending down an ace on match point as his former rival and now coach Andy Murray jumped out of his seat to do the same.

Tyler O'Neill extends record by hitting HR for sixth straight Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill hit a three-run homer in the third inning on Thursday to extend his major league record of homering on Opening Day to six in a row. O'Neill's blast to right field came against right-hander Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blue Jays and gave Baltimore a 5-0 lead. O'Neill finished 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBIs and two walks in the 12-2 victory in Toronto.

Motor racing-Red Bull demotion 'tough', says Lawson

Formula One driver Liam Lawson said his demotion by Red Bull after two races was "tough" but he is excited to work with his former team Racing Bulls. The New Zealander was replaced by Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda in a straight swap between the sister teams after not scoring a point in Australia and China as defending champion Max Verstappen's new teammate.

Sidney Crosby sets NHL point-per-game record

Sidney Crosby scored a first-period goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins, his 80th point of the season, against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, assuring the superstar of his 20th season averaging a point a game and breaking the record he previously held with Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky. Trialing 2-0 halfway through the first period, the 37-year-old center knocked home a goal off assists from Rickard Rakell and Matt Grzelcyk. That tally secured a point-per-game scoring rate for the season with Crosby's maximum number of games this year capping at 80.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)